Archive for Rate the Deal

This is a trade I completed last week, prior to Martis’ rough second start. I dealt Shairon Martis ($2) and Brandon Morrow (not eligible to be kept) for John Maine ($5). Now, there were a few things I considered when pulling the trigger on this deal:

Those who have been reading this site since the preseason know how high I was on Maine heading into the season. While he has stumbled a bit, he has shown signs of being fully recovered from the shoulder surgery he had in the offseason. If he can get things back on track, he’s a bargain, not only for this season but as a keeper in 2010 as well.

Morrow is not only struggling, but was expendable for me. I already have Joakim Soria, Frank Francisco & Brian Wilson, so I am three strong in the closer department once Soria returns to the mound. Given Morrow’s inconsistency, even if he does resume closer’s duties, I don’t think I would use him over my other options. The way things are going, there really is no guarantee that he’s going to close again anyways. Obviously, I am a little bit concerned that I sold too low on Morrow, but given the situation I can’t worry about that too much. Read more

In my opinion, while Baker has a greater upside, swapping him for Floyd is virtually just trading pitchers who are struggling mightily over the first six weeks of the season. I don’t see it is a big dropoff, as neither pitcher is going to be used in my line-up until they string together 2 or 3 solid starts and I can trust him.

In acquiring Harang, I get a pitcher who will help in strikeouts while also posting a solid ERA and WHIP. Prior to 2009 he had emerged as a solid #3 fantasy starter, which is exactly where he falls in for me (behind Chad Billingsley & James Shields). To get him essentially for Morgan (who I had Dexter Fowler to replace), a player I scooped up off the waiver wire, seemed like a no-brainer to me.

What does everyone else think? Is this a trade you would have made? Why or why not?

On Sunday, my keeper league held its auction. Early, I know, but it certainly made it interesting as we all tried to forecast who would ultimately land starting jobs and who would find their way too the bench. I know I’ll be looking to make a few changes before the start of the season, as I’m sure most of the other owners will as well.

I have one major concern with how my team turned out, but before I get to that, let’s take a look at my roster:

You are allowed to keep 10 players a season, with their value increasing by $3. After the trade, his keepers are:

Clayton Kershaw

David Price

Jon Lester

Mark Teixeira

Carlos Pena

Dustin Pedroia

Troy Tulowitzki

Alexei Ramirez

B.J. Upton

Jacoby Ellsbury

Wow, that’s a tough one. I always like to save money when possible, so I have more cash available to me at the actual auction. This deal accomplished that, and Paul did receive a top talent, and one that is a steal at that price even if he falls short of the lofty standards he set for himself in 2008.

The deal completely filled his MI spots, which is good and bad in a way. I love having a strong group of players there, especially cheap, since it fills positions that are tough to get while also saving your cash for the big hitters or ace starters. It makes sense. However, I don’t like having my hands tied at the auction, where it doesn’t make sense for me to bid on a player who is a bargain, since he will be put in my Utility spot. Read more

I’m still wheeling and dealing, setting up my keepers in my auction league. Today, I want to open up for discussion my recent trade of Matt Wieters for Clayton Kershaw. Let’s look at the details:

Both players can be kept for 2009 at $2

After 2009, both players are eligible to be returned to the auction pool or, you can keep them for $1 more then the CBS value (you have this option on one player every season)

So, why did I make the trade? I essentially have Kelly Shoppach ($2) & Geovany Soto ($19) locked up to fill my two catching slots. While Wieters has the potential to be the best catcher in baseball, the fact that he is not likely to be up until late May obviously hurts his value. I’ve discussed this before here, but given the fact that the fill-in alternatives on the waiver wire are likely to be players like Brian Schneider (this is a 13-team league), having a hole like that for nearly 2 months could be very costly.

I love Kershaw for 2009, I’ve said it here before. I’ve drawn the comparison to Tim Lincecum, and while that may be unlikely, he has the potential to be very, very good. Unlike Wieters, he’s had major league experience and is set to contribute from April 1 on. He also threw 169 innings last season between Triple A and the majors, so there really isn’t a major concern about him being limited. Read more

As I continue to prepare for my keeper league this season, I’ve been making a few trades to get my keepers in order. Last season I traded a lot of my top keepers (McLouth, Scherzer, Volquez) in order to go for the win, which proved to be a successful strategy. It left things pretty barren heading into 2009, however, so I needed to make a flurry of trades to get ready for another run at a title.

One of those deals saw me trade Travis Snider in exchange for Scott Baker.

In analyzing this trade, you have to consider two things:

Both players salaries are $2

Both players are locked in at that price for 2009, then eligible to return to the auction pool in 2010

So, why did I make the trade? As I’ve said here before, I’m not incredibly high on Snider for this season (you can view my Quick Hit about him by clicking here). Come 2010 and beyond, he has the potential to be an absolute monster at the plate, but at just 21-years old, I’m expecting him to struggle this season. He strikes out a bunch (31.61% over the entire 2008 season) and I just don’t expect him to fully realize his power potential. Read more